December 2007 President’s Message: "A New Year Coming"

By: Todd Fleming
Alamo Fly Fishers – President 2007

The end of another year is rapidly approaching. Where has all the time gone? It’s been fast paced since the very beginning. Unfortunately that’s a sure sign that I’m getting older, but I guess it beats the alternative. One thing age has taught me is to get out and enjoy life. I recommend doing it often, and not waiting around for the perfect opportunity. Try creating your own opportunities, and you will probably end up being in the right place at the right time for something good to happen!

The weather this year was unusual to say the least, and it affected all of our fishing. The beginning of 2007 was an extension of the drought we experienced all through 2006. Area lakes dropped to as low as anyone could remember, and the rivers were mostly dry or running at just a trickle. There were burn bans in counties and state parks everywhere – it was dry. Trout fishing in the Guadalupe was almost a bust because there was only minimal water being released from Canyon Lake. When Spring arrived, we were still praying for rain. The recorded message at Colorado Bend SP never changed, “Boat ramp is closed, no ground fires or open flames permitted, and white bass are slow.” We were told there was a sand bar stretching from bank to bank, and several hundred yards long near the lake at the mouth of the river that was keeping the white bass from running upstream to spawn. It was just plain tough to find a fish in the river – much less catch one.

Then it started to rain. And it rained continuously for the next six months. We set records for rainfall. Wettest summer ever, and records for coldest summer too. I don’t think we ever hit 100 degrees this year – now that’s unusual! All that rain was great for the aquifer, area lakes, and ozone action days. The rain did cause some flooding, and lakes that had been at record lows were now full for the first time in years. We really could not do any freshwater fishing this year because the rivers were high and running dangerously swift. After ruining all the freshwater fishing, that water headed south for coast, and played havoc with the saltwater fishing too! The normally hyper-saline Laguna Madre, that is famous for producing trophy size speckled trout, turned almost completely sweet. Regular fishing patterns were confused when those fish moved to find more comfortable water. Bass, catfish, and other freshwater fish were showing up in the TPWD gill net surveys in areas normally too salty for those fish. It was a slower than normal fishing year at the coast as well.

The good news is, water conditions all over the state have returned to normal, and fishing in 2008 should be much better than 2007! There is plenty of water in Canyon Lake to guarantee adequate flow for healthy rainbow trout fishing on the Guadalupe River. The white bass will be able to swim past the rocks at Bend in record numbers. And speckled trout and redfish at the coast will be larger and in greater number in 2008 due to fewer fish being caught in 2007. Everyone should make their New Year’s Resolution right now to fish more days in 2008 than they did in 2007. I know for most of you, that should be an easy resolution to keep!

Our end of the year Christmas Party and Fundraiser is Sunday December 9th at Alamo Café on 281, North of Bitters Road. Once again we have some great raffle and auction items donated by some very good friends of Alamo Fly Fishers. I hope everyone will plan to attend that party. At the party, I will also be passing out a survey of questions about club outings, meetings, the newsletter, and our website. We are hoping to get honest feedback from all of our members to make sure we are addressing your needs. It will be your opportunity to influence the direction of our club. To help persuade you to complete and return the survey by the January club meeting, we will give away a $100 gift certificate in a special drawing for the members who return a completed survey. We want your opinions on where to lead the club in 2008.

My final words of advice are the same thing I’ve been preaching all year long. Get outdoors and go fishing. Take someone with you; if that is a child or young person – even better. Take time to look around; those unexpected pleasures Mother Nature provides are often more rewarding and memorable than all the fish you expected to catch. You will also come to realize, as I have, that going fishing is not just about the fish. There is a whole lot more that happens when you take the time to go fishing. And when you get back, I want to hear from you. I want you to write a journal record of your outings, and then send me a copy. I hope to hear from everyone throughout the year!

Merry Christmas, and may we all be blessed in the new year.